I was wondering what kind of qualifications I'd need to do something like that. Is there anybody I can talk to about my idea's for video games? I mean the imagination side of it, not the computer side of it. So does anyone know who I could talk to about designing a video game and having someone turn my idea's into a real thing?

The only Alternative is to pick up some other skills so that you can actually participate in the production of your ideas.

Your ideas are less than worthless, any developer who chooses to work on your ideas, your dreams will not have time to work on his own (and most humans value their own dreams and ideas far higher than those of a complete stranger), you need to offset that, either by bringing skills they lack or money to the table.

Edited by SimonForsman, 26 November 2013 - 01:31 PM.

I don't suffer from insanity, I'm enjoying every minute of it.The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some good ideas!

1. Hire a game designer, you mean? See the Classifieds. There must be aspiring designers there. I imagine that most professional designers would feel qualms about working for someone who doesn't have a solid business plan behind the game idea (I mean, I would not feel good about taking money from someone who's basically giving me his money to write something he can't proceed with because he doesn't have the game industry chops). Why don't you just write your own? http://sloperama.com/advice/specs.htm

The professional option is to get hired or promoted to lead game designer, product manager or executive producer for a large game studio. Power in these positions increases from left to right, but ability to micromanage implementation details decreases.

Of course, you'll have to prove you've got the skills that the employer wants in order to get hired in those positions. Those skills vary by company.

When you look at the game design forum's main page, there should be a sidebar on the right which says Getting Started, it includes multiple tutorials about how to design a game.

Phone game idea available free to someone who will develop it (Alphadoku game - the only existing phone game of this type is both for windows phone only and awful. PM for details.)

I want to help design a "sandpark" MMO. Optional interactive story with quests and deeply characterized NPCs, plus sandbox elements like player-craftable housing and lots of other crafting. If you are starting a design of this type, please PM me. I also love pet-breeding games.

I am working on a fairly decent sized project and need developers to help with some of the core work before begining phases of the Technical phase.
I will send you a copy of My GDD to read.

Doesn't he said that he didn't wanted to do the computer side? I guess it's including development too ^^

Your ideas are less than worthless, any developer who chooses to work on your ideas, your dreams will not have time to work on his own (and most humans value their own dreams and ideas far higher than those of a complete stranger), you need to offset that, either by bringing skills they lack or money to the table.

So true, nothing more to say about that.

I would like to complete on the : "bringing skills they lack"

As I see it, game designer is not a job, but more of a extra subclass. For exemple, the game designers in the video game studio I'm working in are also level designers, developpers or other jobs, so I hardly imagine someone being only a game designer.

If you don't want to be on the technical side, maybe level design will suit you or you could try a Test Q.A job in a video game studio, and after some (long) time you can level up to Game Designer if you manage to have the right idea at the right time.

If you are skilled enough and you do the work (a decent design document, etc), you MIGHT be able to recruit yourself a team of hobbyists. After that begins the real work of actually making the game and I can say from experience that running a team of beginners/non-professionals without being able to pay them a dime is not an easy task.

If you want to get your game realized by going through the corporate ladder, you should be aware that it will take many years to work your way up a lead designer post. Even if that would happen, it's still no guarantee that you'll get to work on a project of your own choosing.

If you are skilled enough and you do the work (a decent design document, etc), you MIGHT be able to recruit yourself a team of hobbyists. After that begins the real work of actually making the game and I can say from experience that running a team of beginners/non-professionals without being able to pay them a dime is not an easy task.

If you want to get your game realized by going through the corporate ladder, you should be aware that it will take many years to work your way up a lead designer post. Even if that would happen, it's still no guarantee that you'll get to work on a project of your own choosing.

Good luck!

Since you have experience in recruiting non pros, can you tell me how hard it was to actually do that? What is or was your role in the team and were your team members local to you? I was wondering if you could tell me (if you know), if starting an online team has any good success rates of completing a project? That is a team of people that live outside your city or further? The reason i ask is because I'm a budding artists that's not where he wants to be skill wise, and with what I believe to be 'unorthodox' ideas when it comes to game features, elements or presentation. Not game design per se but more 'protypical' concepts, such as a character customiztion feature in a 3d fighting game that revolves around fighting styles. I won't go to in depth here, but all I can say is I've never seen it done before and would like to see this game come to fruition.

Anyways if I build a design document that outlines key points of all the aspects of a game (or at least most of them), do you think that in itself is enough for others to take interest in what I'm presenting? My plan was to get some sort of prototype going with a team and see if we can do a Kickstarter project once we have the protoype complete. So then i can possibly get more people on board for the project and pay each team member (equally maybe?) with the Kickstarter funds to finish the game. Is this something that sounds feasible, or how would you go about it? Can you offer me any more advice on the subject of hobbyist developmen or experinces you have had while in a team? Anything to expect or not, etc.?

Also, I'm sure PC would be my best bet for which platform to develop on correct? Thank you for any advice you can offer me.

If you are skilled enough and you do the work (a decent design document, etc), you MIGHT be able to recruit yourself a team of hobbyists. After that begins the real work of actually making the game and I can say from experience that running a team of beginners/non-professionals without being able to pay them a dime is not an easy task.

If you want to get your game realized by going through the corporate ladder, you should be aware that it will take many years to work your way up a lead designer post. Even if that would happen, it's still no guarantee that you'll get to work on a project of your own choosing.

Good luck!

Since you have experience in recruiting non pros, can you tell me how hard it was to actually do that? What is or was your role in the team and were your team members local to you? I was wondering if you could tell me (if you know), if starting an online team has any good success rates of completing a project? That is a team of people that live outside your city or further? The reason i ask is because I'm a budding artists that's not where he wants to be skill wise, and with what I believe to be 'unorthodox' ideas when it comes to game features, elements or presentation. Not game design per se but more 'protypical' concepts, such as a character customiztion feature in a 3d fighting game that revolves around fighting styles. I won't go to in depth here, but all I can say is I've never seen it done before and would like to see this game come to fruition.

Anyways if I build a design document that outlines key points of all the aspects of a game (or at least most of them), do you think that in itself is enough for others to take interest in what I'm presenting? My plan was to get some sort of prototype going with a team and see if we can do a Kickstarter project once we have the protoype complete. So then i can possibly get more people on board for the project and pay each team member (equally maybe?) with the Kickstarter funds to finish the game. Is this something that sounds feasible, or how would you go about it? Can you offer me any more advice on the subject of hobbyist developmen or experinces you have had while in a team? Anything to expect or not, etc.?

Also, I'm sure PC would be my best bet for which platform to develop on correct? Thank you for any advice you can offer me.

The vast majority of successful amateur online "teams" are really 1-2 man shows with a loose group of contributors helping out from time to time, if you can't carry the project on your own you will fail, unpaid amateurs will not carry your project for you, at best they will contribute a few hours of work here and there.

In order to succeed you will need one person who will stay for the duration of the project and who is capable of "completing"(not necessarily at full scale or quality)the project on his own if necessary (That person should be you, you cannot really trust anyone else to put in the several thousands of hours of unpaid work required)

Edited by SimonForsman, 03 December 2013 - 09:01 AM.

I don't suffer from insanity, I'm enjoying every minute of it.The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some good ideas!